Outside of the headline-grabbing Spectre 13.3 as the "thinnest notebook ever", HP also unveiled a new lineup of notebooks and convertibles as part of the manufacturer's luxury Envy series for consumers.

The first of the three is the Envy x360 convertible, which has taken a more Spectre-like approach in design with its all-metal chassis and sharp edges. The refreshed chassis will be 21 percent thinner than the previous generation with 1080p and 4K UHD display options and longer battery life. Other features include keyboard keys with 1.5 mm travel (compared to 1.3 mm on the new Spectre 13.3) and an optional HD IR camera for Windows Hello.

HP Envy x360

Intel Skylake Core i5/i7 CPU with integrated Iris graphics; or

AMD FX 9800P APU with integrated Radeon R7 graphics

15.6-inch FHD or 4K UHD touchscreen

HP Audio Boost with Bang & Olufsen speakers

2x USB 3.0, 1x USB Type-C Gen. 1, 1x HDMI, SD reader

Up to 16 GB RAM

256 GB PCIe SSD + 2.5-inch 2 TB HDD

Up to 11 hours battery life

18.8 mm thick; 4.5 pounds

Next are the Envy 15.6 and Envy 17.3 notebooks with a similar all-metal design philosophy. Like their immediate predecessors, both systems will have a hooked bottom edge on their respective lids to lift the base at a slight angle during use. While this can potentially improve ergonomics and airflow, the feature prevents having any ports on the rear of the notebook. Touchscreen options are also available on these models despite the fact that they include no 2-in-1 features. An HD IR camera is again optional on the 15.6-inch model while Intel RealSense will be available on the larger 17.3-inch model. Both will support HP Fast Charge Technology to charge from empty to 90 percent in 90 minutes.

Notable differences between the two sizes are the lack of discrete Nvidia graphics options for the Envy 15.6 while the larger Envy 17.3 carries an optical drive in lieu of a secondary storage bay.

After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.